September 18, 2024
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Leading the News . . .
Israel Planted Explosives in Pagers Sold to Hezbollah . . . The explosive material, as little as one to two ounces, was implanted next to the battery in each pager, two of the officials said. A switch was also embedded that could be triggered remotely to detonate the explosives. At 3:30 p.m. in Lebanon, the pagers received a message that appeared as though it was coming from Hezbollah's leadership, two of the officials said. Instead, the message activated the explosives. Lebanon's health minister told state media at least 11 people were killed and more than 2,700 injured. New York Times
Given that pagers are worn on the hip, it might be interesting to find out just what kind of injuries these men suffered . . .
Politics
Top Democrat says DHS is stonewalling Senate probe of Trump assassination attempt . . . Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) on Tuesday slammed the Biden-Harris administration for effectively "stonewalling" congressional efforts to investigate the assassination attempts on Republican nominee Donald Trump. "I'm reaching the point of total outrage, because the response from the Department of Homeland Security has been totally lacking. In fact, I think it's tantamount to stonewalling in many respects," said Blumenthal, chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Washington Free Beacon
FBI official leading Trump assassination probe accused of anti-Trump bias . . . The senior FBI official leading the investigation in Florida of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump expressed rabid hatred of Mr. Trump and retaliated against FBI personnel who supported the former president, whistleblowers say. Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge, was ordered by superiors to scrub his social media accounts of anti-Trump vitriol before he was promoted last year to head the Miami field office. Washington Times
Trump guarded by Secret Service counter-sniper team, protective tent as he arrives in NYC
Trump praises 'amazing' woman who tailed golf course gunman . . . Donald Trump praised an "amazing" woman motorist who he said tailed an alleged gunman as he made his getaway after an apparent assassination attempt on the former president on Sunday, leading to a speedy arrest. In his first public appearance since the incident, the Republican presidential candidate told a crowd that the unnamed civilian "saw something in this guy that was bad". She spotted the suspect running to his car and became suspicious, so followed him in her own vehicle and took pictures of his licence plate, Trump said. BBC
Watch: Kamala spars with association of black journalists reporters, serves up word salads
Theft increased in Springfield, Ohio after influx of Haitian migrants . . . Reports of shoplifting and vehicle theft increased considerably in Springfield, Ohio, following the arrival of thousands of Haitian refugees, according to data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation through a records request. The town, which had a population of 58,622 in 2020, has taken in between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitian refugees over the past three years, marking a population increase of between 20.4% and 34.1%. From 2021 to 2023, Springfield also saw a 51.5% jump in motor vehicle theft reports and a 112.8% spike in reports of shoplifting. Daily Signal
Control of the Senate is coming down to Montana — and Democrats are struggling . . . Control of the Senate increasingly appears to hinge on a single race, and it's quickly moved in the wrong direction for Democrats: Sen. Jon Tester of Montana has fallen behind his opponent in poll after poll. Democrats have been desperately pouring resources into helping Tester try to defy political gravity once again, with $45 million more slated for the final weeks of his battle with Republican Tim Sheehy. Politico
Trump wants IVF coverage, but Republicans block Senate bill . . . Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would provide legal protections for fertility treatments and mandate insurance coverage, despite GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's recent pledge to force insurance companies or the government to pay for them. Tuesday's vote was 51 in favor and 44 opposed, with Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joining with Democrats in support. Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio), Trump's running mate on the GOP ticket, didn't vote. Sixty votes were required to advance the bill under the Senate's longstanding filibuster rule. Wall Street Journal
Culture
Colleges sued for not complying with Supreme Court affirmative action ruling . . . The group behind the lawsuit that brought down affirmative action in college admissions is demanding answers from universities that saw almost no change in the racial breakdown of their classes after the ban took effect, arguing that the similarity is evidence of discrimination and possible grounds for a lawsuit. Students for Fair Admissions, which won its landmark case against Harvard before the Supreme Court last year, sent letters on Tuesday to Yale, Princeton, and Duke, urging their lawyers to "preserve all potentially relevant documents" in the event of litigation. Washington Free Beacon
The number of Asian students, meanwhile, declined at all three schools.
International
Ukrainian drone attack triggers earthquake-sized blast at arsenal in Russia's Tver region . . . A large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Russia triggered an earthquake-sized blast at a major arsenal in the Tver region on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of a nearby town, war bloggers and some media reported.
Unverified video and images on social media showed a huge ball of flame blasting high into the night sky and multiple detonations thundering across a lake about 240 miles west of Moscow. Reuters
UN official calls Israel a "military dictatorship" . . . At the event—"Anatomy of a Genocide: A Failure of the International System?"—hosted by Brown's Center for Middle East Studies, the U.N.'s special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Francesca Albanese, accused Israel of arbitrarily arresting Palestinians and designating groups as terrorist organizations. "This is why I call it a military dictatorship, because it applies military orders written by soldiers, applied by soldiers, reviewed in military courts," Albanese said. "Maintaining a military dictatorship over 5 million people is not the best way to be loved by these 5 million people." Washington Free Beacon
Money
Fed will cut rates today, but by how much? . . . Having all but tamed inflation, the Federal Reserve is poised to do something Wednesday it hasn't done in more than four years: Cut its benchmark interest rate, a step that should lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses just weeks before the presidential election. And yet an unusual air of uncertainty overhangs this week's meeting: It's unclear just how large the Fed's rate cut will be. Wall Street traders and some economists foresee a growing likelihood that the central bank will announce a larger-than-usual half-point cut. Many analysts foresee a more typical quarter-point rate cut. Associated Press
Trump vows to restore state and local tax deduction in major reversal . . . Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act included a $10,000 cap on SALT deductions, and a group of lawmakers in places such as New York and California have been adamant in pushing for that cap to be raised or eliminated.Trump signaled Tuesday that he supports changes to the cap. "Hundreds of thousands of Migrants, Crime at record levels, Terrorists pouring in, Inflation eating your hearts out — WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? VOTE FOR TRUMP! I will turn it around, get SALT back, lower your Taxes, and so much more," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Washington Examiner
Billionaire hedge fund manager would pull his money from the market if Harris wins . . . Hedge fund billionaire and major Trump fundraiser John Paulson noted that Trump wants to extend the 2017 tax cuts implemented during his term in office while Harris wants to let them expire. He also noted that Harris has proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% and wants to raise the capital gains rate from 20% to 28%. The billionaire pointed to Harris' proposed 25% tax on unrealized gains for individuals making $100 million or more, and he predicted that, if implemented, it "would cause mass selling of almost everything – stocks, bonds, homes, art – I think it would result in a crash in the markets." Fox Business
Tupperware in fight to survive after bankruptcy filing . . . US brand Tupperware has filed for bankruptcy as it struggles to survive in the face of sliding sales. The food storage container firm said it will ask for court permission to start a sale of the business and that it aimed to continue operating. The 78-year-old firm has become so synonymous with food storage that many people use its name when referring to any old plastic container. BBC
What will we do with our leftovers?
You should also know
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' indictment alleges he used his power to build an empire of sexual crime . . . A sweeping indictment alleging years of sex trafficking and conspiracy, to which he pleaded not guilty before a federal magistrate ordered him jailed without bail as he awaits trial. The indictment accuses Combs of presiding over a sordid empire of sexual crimes that used his "power and prestige" for "sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice." Associated Press
Guilty Pleasures
Watch: San Diego Zoo vets perform first-ever porcupine C-section . . . San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced its veterinarians have performed the first-ever cesarean section birth for a North American porcupine. The wildlife alliance said Maizey, a female North American porcupine living at the San Diego Zoo, suffered complications during labor that necessitated a C-section procedure to protect her life and that of her male baby. UPI
The father was seen handing out cigars to the other porcupines in the waiting room.
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